There is cause for celebration. As Toastmasters clubs and Districts around the world adapt to the effects the coronavirus crisis is having on meetings and District activities, Toastmasters International is taking note of the overwhelming positive energy and support. With year-end approaching, many of you have risen to the challenge of encouraging and influencing clubs to achieve membership and education goals, despite what is going on globally, and for this, you and your District are an inspiration and deserve special recognition.

The Board of Directors and World Headquarters have received much feedback requesting a modification of the District Recognition Program or even postponing the program year-end date to a later time. After careful consideration, the Board determined that any recognition program change to lower the qualifying requirements or goals would be inappropriate and unfair to those going above and beyond.

This resulted in the Board creating new awards at the Area, Division, and District levels for the 2019–2020 program year only, in addition to the existing District Recognition Program. They were designed with the same enthusiasm so many of you displayed to earn them:

Online Attendance by Area, Division, and District

Online Ovation Award Bronze, Online Ovation Award Silver, Online Ovation Award Gold

• Areas, Divisions, and Districts will be awarded for achieving 50% (Bronze), 75% (Silver), or 100% (Gold) of paid clubs allowing online attendance, as reported by clubs in Club Central. An Area, Division, or District will be recognized with a single award based on the Area, Division, or District’s performance as defined above.

Area Recognition

Visiting Victor Award

• Area Directors that complete 100% of their second-round club visits by May 31, 2020 of all active and suspended clubs in their Area will be awarded.

Division Recognition

Paid Club Champion Bronze, Paid Club Champion Silver, Paid Club Champion Gold

• The top three Division Directors in each District, with a net increase in paid clubs (as a percentage), calculated from May 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020, with April 30, 2020 as the base, will be awarded.

Membership Payment Bronze, Membership Payment Silver, Membership Payment Gold

• The top three Division Directors in each District, with a net increase in membership payments (as a percentage), calculated from May 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020, with April 30, 2020 as the base, will be awarded.

District Recognition

Academia Athletes Bronze, Academia Athletes Silver, Academia Athletes Gold

• The top three Districts in each region that earn the greatest percentage increase in educational awards calculated from May 1, 2020 and June 30, 2020, with April 30, 2020 as the base, will be awarded.

Paid Club Champion Bronze, Paid Club Champion Silver, Paid Club Champion Gold

• The top three Districts in each region, with a net increase in paid clubs, as a percentage, calculated from May 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020, with April 30, 2020 as the base, will be awarded.

Membership Payment Bronze, Membership Payment Silver, Membership Payment Gold

• The top three Districts in each region, with a net increase in membership payments, as a percentage, calculated from May 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020, with April 30, 2020 as the base, will be awarded.

You can find descriptions of these awards and check your progress by visiting the Recognition Awards tab on the COVID-19 page of the Toastmasters International website www.toastmasters.org/covid-19. Awards will be listed in District Central and also on a public-facing recognition page on the Toastmasters website. For questions related to any of these new awards, please contact districts[at]nulltoastmasters.org.

Member, Club, and Leader Recognition

Many members, clubs, and leaders have gone above and beyond in their service to the organization during these extraordinary times. Their contributions will also be recognized but are delegated to the Districts to identify deserving recipients.

District Directors are encouraged to award individuals and clubs exemplifying certain criteria between January 2020 and June 2020. Under the District Awards tab on the Recognition Awards webpage, there is a list of potential awards along with a link to a customizable certificate Districts can fill-in and award.

Toastmasters International admires and appreciates the truly extraordinary efforts of District leaders who are diligently supporting their clubs and assisting members to achieve their year-end goals in these unprecedented times. If you can achieve this today, there is no telling what you will accomplish tomorrow—and we look forward to continuing to recognize you.

Sincerely,

Deepak Menon International President Toastmasters International	Daniel Rex Chief Executive Officer Toastmasters International